A University of Saskatchewan researcher will play a key role in a new $19.5-million nation-wide study of children’s brain development, leading efforts to raise public awareness of childhood brain disorders and helping to put the latest research knowledge into practice.

NeuroDevNet, the first trans-Canada initiative dedicated to studying children’s brain development from both basic and clinical perspectives, will be led by Dr. Dan Goldowitz, Senior Scientist at the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) and the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI).

The network, hosted by the University of British Columbia (UBC) will receive $19,572,000 in funding over five years from the Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada (NCE).

A Canada-wide research network aimed at finding treatments for children with developmental brain disorders was one of three funding announcements made by the federal government on Tuesday.

At the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Networks of Centres of Excellence in Ottawa, Gary Goodyear, minister of state for science and technology, announced the government is investing $125 million to help researchers develop their findings into marketable solutions.